Bangkok

Our final destination of the Thailand trip was Bangkok. Even though I was only in the city for a day and a half (due to my flight being a bit earlier than everyone else), I think that it was my favorite place that we visited. It is one of the coolest cities I’ve ever had the privilege to visit. I left feeling like I had only seen a glimpse of the massive city, and before my plane had even lifted off the runway, I was dreaming about the next time I would be able to come back.

Bangkok is so incredibly full of life. Unlike the smaller-populated Chiang Mai, Bangkok is densely metropolitan; in other words, it has that feeling of controlled chaos that many large cities have. After factoring in a different and distinct culture to this familiar city feeling, my American perspective read it as a whole different world – barely restrained chaos, verging on absolutely unrestrained. Cars and busses zoom by pedestrians at all hours, weaving in and out while tuk tuks and motorcycle-taxis orbit dangerously around the other vehicles, slipping in nearly impossible spaces to beat out their larger counterparts. And the traffic rules? Well, they technically exist, but there were a few times when I was sure they couldn’t due to the blatant disregard for one-way roads that my tuk tuk drivers had.

There were also river taxis, which were quite convenient for travel to many of the touristy sites in the city which sit on the banks of the Chao Phraya. These were especially fun and fascinating at night – when the sun was setting, all the high-rises on the shore were lighting up, their yellow and blue lights lighting up the dark river.

During my day in Bangkok, we went to see the Royal Palace and respective temple grounds. Although we had seen many temple grounds on our trip, these were especially grand. There were so many visitors – foreigners and Thais alike – milling about the architecture, taking pictures of the beautiful gilded and gem-set temple exteriors. Everything is so detailed and worthy of awe – thinking about the process to create the magnificent structures is mind-blowing.

One of the main attractions of the grounds is a certain temple called Wat Phra Kaew, which houses the famous Emerald Buddha. This statue is very important in Thailand and in Buddhism. The account of its discovery was recorded almost 600 years ago, and it has been moved around the country to different locations ever since. However, since 1784, it has been in the very same temple grounds that we visited. It is jaw-droppingly exquisite inside the temple. There is an air of respect and a sacred stillness as people file in and out, voices dropping as they encounter the quiet and peaceful air. No pictures are allowed, and foreign tourists can only enter up to a certain part of the chapel interior. The front part of the space is reserved for Thai people only – many who make long pilgrimages to witness the Emerald Buddha in person and worship their god with prayers, presence, and incense.

The food in Bangkok was another one of my favorite parts. There was so much to try and it was so cheap! Unlike Chiang Mai, there was more of an internationalinfluence on Bangkok’s food courts and markets. There were dishes from many different countries in Asia and a huge selection to choose from – Chinese food, halal food, Japanese food, and American food are some specific examples that I can recall. The food scene in Bangkok felt like a melting pot of food culture. Even as you walked down the busy street, just navigating to get to a tourist location to which you were headed, food lined your path from individual stalls offering pad thai, fried insects, Thai tea, pre-cut fruit, smoothies, and so much more. You can imagine the constant temptation – even if I wasn’t hungry, I was thinking about buying yet another mango sticky rice to-go (my weakness for sugar met its match with mango sticky rice, which is pretty much the most delicious dessert ever).

And even though I felt as though I had just arrived to Bangkok, my time came to an end. Although it was a full day of sightseeing and other lovely touristy events, I felt like there was still so much to see. I remember a moment when Dani and I were zooming through the city in the back of a tuk tuk for about 30-40 minutes, on our way to a market. We raced through the city, in between the perpetual traffic, enjoying the quick flashes of stores and markets and people and neighborhood shrines. I remember thinking – this is a city of undiscovered cultural treasure and experiences that I cannot even imagine. I feel so lucky to have seen it for just a day. The next time I am able to return, whenever that is, I know that the beauty and energy of Bangkok will be waiting for me. There’s so much more to discover!

And with that, the sun set on my time in Thailand and I made my way back to Spain. I was received well – very jet-lagged, but mentally refreshed and excited to see my friends and my beautiful city. I’m so happy to be back! And now it’s 2019. Who knows what exciting and beautiful things this year holds for my life, and for all of us?

Stay open, stay curious, and stay inspired!

Thanks for reading, and if you’ve kept up with the whole series, an extra thanks to you! If you want to connect with me to discuss your own Thailand travels/questions/inspiring stories – I’d love to chat. Find me over at my contact page or tweet me.

THIS IS PART 3 OF A 3 PART SERIES. CLICK HERE TO READ PART 1, AND HERE TO READ PART 2.